Joshua Tree National Park: A 3 Day Itinerary (& photo essay).
A photo essay and short suggested itinerary for 3 days, integrated into a larger one week trip to Southern California.
Janice: Shot with Fujifilm XT4 using XF 16-80, XF 35 F1.4
Huyee: Shot with Nikon Z6 using Nikon F 24-70 F2.8; Minolta x570 with 50 F1.4 on Kodak Portra 400
Joshua Tree National Park has been a bucket list destination for each of us, individually, even before we met. At 2,700 feet (820 metres) of elevation above sea level, it spans 3,218 square kilometers (1,232.4 square miles), and amazingly packs two vastly different ecosystems into one National Park - the Mojave and Colorado ecosystems. What an incredible landscape! In fact, I learned the other day that Joshua tree forests evolved when at a time when the giant ground sloth, was living on Earth (now extinct for 10,000 years). The sloth was apparently instrumental in spreading Joshua tree seeds.
Last year, when we both got a spare week off, we finally had the opportunity to realize the dream of visiting Joshua Tree National Park. Many spend only a day trip or stay for one night, but we wanted to ensure ample time to explore and photograph the incredible vistas during the best light. In fact, for most of our travels, photography is one of the main events.
Hidden Valley Nature Trail
Day 0 - Arrival
We actually landed at LAX at 9:45pm LA time, which was actually almost 1 am Toronto time. We immediately headed to the rental car station and actually headed straight into the 3 hour drive immediately on the first night. But not before a stop at In n’ Out (no trip to California is complete without this!). By the time we arrived at our motel in Yucca Valley, it was 2am LA time (5am Toronto time). The drive was pitch black for many sections - highly recommend driving this in the daytime if you can (although I have no regrets either!) Boy were we tired. We stayed at Super 8 by Wyndham. Yes - Huyee managed to make this Super 8 look extremely aesthetic. We did sleep in a little and started our day around 9am.
Day 1 - Hidden Valley Nature Trail, Barker Dam, and Sunset at Cholla Cactus Garden
Our motel is at the north end of the park. Most people stay in the surrounding towns of Palm Springs, Yucca Valley, or Twentynine Palms and enter from the North entrance as the only accommodations within the park are campgrounds. On our first day we decided to go north to south, ending at Cholla Cactus Garden. Entering the park was magical. The photos with cars and people really help you contextualize the scale of the landscape. We recommend going early to avoid the crowds. These trails are all beginner friendly with parking, minimal elevation, and good signage (we are not big hikers!). The Hidden Valley Trail Loop is 3.7 miles and Barker Dam Trail is a 1.1 mile loop. Bring lots of water though because it can get hot midday! I would also recommend packing lunch and plenty of snacks as there are limited options within the park. We picked up taco salads from a fast food joint in the morning, and ate on a rock in between the two hikes.
By late afternoon, we headed south to catch sunset at Cholla Cactus Garden. It was fascinating to watch the landscape change from the higher rocky landscape dotted with countless Joshua trees, to the lower and hotter wide-open Colorado desert portion of the park.
I would highly recommend researching the sunset time beforehand and planning your trip to arrive for golden-hour, then staying straight through sunset to blue hour. We visiting in late January, and arrived at the garden around 3:30 pm. Don’t be fooled by their fuzzy appearance; the Cholla cactus is known as the “jumping cholla” as its sharp stems are known to detach easily when brushed (even slightly), attaching on to you! Close toed shoes, long pants, and an abundance of attention are recommended to avoid injuries. After watching sunset, we headed to Pappy’s and Harriet’s, a highly recommended dinner option in Pioneertown to fill our bellies.
Day 2 - Arch Rock, Skull Rock, Jumbo Rocks, and astrophotography.
If waking up early isn’t for you, then delay this entire itinerary by about 3 hours. However. we decided to wake up at 5 am to watch the sunrise at Arch Rock and felt it was well worth it. Little did I know, this is also where Huyee was planning to (and did) propose to me!
After that, we napped the afternoon away, and re-emerged to shoot golden hour at Quail Springs.
And then astrophotography…
If you get up for sunrise or stay out for astrophotography, I highly recommend bringing warm clothing. Although hot in the day time, the dryness of the desert climate means that it can plunge down to single digit celsius weather when the sun is not out!
Day 3 - Keys Ranch Tour, then off to our next adventure at Palm Springs.
The next morning, we signed up for the official ranger-led tour of Keys Ranch (The Desert Queen Ranch). One is only allowed to enter with a ranger-guided tour, and thankfully it is quite affordable at $10 per person. What I found most interesting was the history of the ranch, which was built in 1910 by William (Bill) and Florence Keys who originally moved to the desert in search of gold.
Goodbye, Joshua trees! Until next time!